Beavers Dominate USC In 45-27 Victory

The last time Oregon State beat USC in Los Angeles was September 16th, 1960. After 61 years, the Beavers have finally broken that sad streak, throttling the Trojans in a huge 45-27 win. Oregon State is now 3-1, and has broken the 40 point barrier in each of their last three games.

The Beavers got started quick, with Rejzohn Wright picking off Kedon Slovis on USC’s first drive. BJ Baylor started his big day with three quick rushes to get the Beavers in the red zone, and then Chance Nolan connected with Teagan Quitoriano to put the Beavers up 7-0.

USC tied things up on their next drive, with Kedon Slovis hitting Gary Bryant Jr for a touchdown. When the Beavers got the ball back they got down to the USC 14, but Nolan’s throw to Trevon Bradford was picked off by Isaac Taylor-Stuart to give the Trojans a shot at taking the lead.

The Trojans ended the first quarter on the OSU 20 yard line, but Keontay Ingram gave them the lead with a 9 yard rush in the second. That put USC up 14-7, but that would be the only time the Trojans led in the game.

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Each team punted on their next possession before Oregon State’s offense got a drive going. Nolan capped it off with a 13 yard pass to Tyjon Lindsey tying the game at 14. The Oregon State defense smothered the next USC possession, giving the Beavers an excellent chance to take the lead back before halftime.

Nolan looked perfect on this drive, starting with a 14 yard rush, and then hitting Lindsey, Baylor and Trey Lowe on his next three pass attempts to get the Beavers in USC territory. He wrapped things up with a 36 yard pass to Tre’Shaun Harrison for his third touchdown of the day, putting the Beavers up 21-14. The Trojans would add a field goal before halftime, giving Oregon State a 21-17 lead after two quarters.

In the third quarter, the Beavers started to dominate the game. The Beavers started the half with possession, and a 40 yard run from BJ Baylor got them to USC territory rapidly. A Nolan pass to Tyjon Lindsey gave the Beavers another touchdown and put them up 28-17.

USC could not find anything on their next possession, and when the Beavers got the ball back Nolan and Lindsey connected again, with a 33 yard pass putting Oregon State at the USC 20. BJ Baylor got the Beavers to the goal line, setting up Jack Colletto for a touchdown run out of the wildcat.

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With Oregon State up 35-17, USC got the ball back desperate for a score. The Trojans got the ball to midfield, but on a QB rush Avery Roberts forced the ball out of Kedon Slovis’s hands, and Omar Speights recovered to give the ball to Oregon State.

The Beaver offense shifted heavily to the running game at this point, with every play on the next drive a run. It proved effective, as the Beavers chewed up several minutes to end the quarter at the USC 3. On the second play of the fourth quarter, the Beavers gave the ball to Colletto again, and he gave them another touchdown.

Down 42-17 with one quarter to go, the Trojans finally started to find their footing. The drove down the field on their next drive, and a three yard Keaontay Ingram run gave them a touchdown, but also took a lot of time off the clock.

Things looked they might break the Trojans way, as Chance Nolan was picked off by Jaylin Smith on the Beavers next possession, but OSU’s defense managed to hold USC to a field goal. That made things 42-27, a two score game, but the Trojans only had 6 and a half minutes left to make the comeback.

The Beavers stuck to the run game on their next drive, and took a few more minutes off the clock, but couldn’t get in scoring range. They trusted the defense to handle USC, and the D delivered, with man of the night Jack Colletto picking off Slovis to seal the win for Oregon state. The Beavers turned that pick into another three points, ending the game with a 45-27 victory.

What a night for the Beavers, filled with many star making performances. Jack Colletto of course had an amazing night, with two rushing touchdowns and an interception. Chance Nolan looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the country, throwing for 213 yards and 4 touchdowns. While he didn’t get a TD, BJ Baylor put up 158 yards on the ground. Tyjon Lindsey had 102 yards through the air, along with 2 touchdowns.

Defensively, Avery Roberts had a big night, with 10 tackles, 6 solo along with a forced fumble. The whole secondary looked solid, with Alex Austin leading with 9 total tackles, Jaydon Grant and Alton Julian adding 8 each, and Kitan Oladapo finishing with 6. Oladapo also grabbed a pick on the Trojans last drive. Also, special shout out to Trevon Bradford for being perfect at recovering the ball on the many USC onside kick attempts.

The Beavers will be back home at Reser Stadium for their Pac-12 Home Opener. They’ll be taking on the 2-2 Washington Huskies, who are coming 31-24 win over California. It should be a big game for Oregon State.